One Decision
by StayStrongxox
Summary: It takes one decision to change everything...
1. Chapter 1

It was his fault. It was his fault, and no one was going to tell him it wasn't. Everyone he knew now looked at him like he was a stranger. He used to be the hotshot of East High, Captain of the basketball team with a girlfriend and his best friends around him... Now he didn't have any of that, not even his parents could look at him. He had enough of the glares and scurried to his bedroom, locking his door and laying on his bed, grabbing his comforter and allowing the tears to be absorbed by the quilt.

* * *

_**Three days ago  
**_

_Troy skidded into his girlfriend driveway and jumped from the car, making sure it locked and secured, before bolting for the front door of his girlfriends house, where she home alone. Gabriella just had time to register it was her boyfriend of six years, before his lips landed on hers, releasing three weeks worth of kisses and make out the couple had missed, due to Gabriella's grandmother falling seriously ill and requesting her daughter and her granddaughter at her side in case the worse case scenario happened, luckily it didn't._

_'God, I missed you!' He hissed as his hands clutched her waist tightly as she wrapped her legs round his waist and allowed him to carry her upstairs, before she unwrapped her legs and landed on her feet, unzipping his jacket and slipping it from his muscular arms and throwing it behind her. She sighed in happiness as his lips travelled to her neck and began to suck lightly. She stumbled as she turned and her back hit her bedroom door, reaching behind her and swinging her door open. Troy caught her as she fell backwards slightly with the door, their lips never parting, as he slammed the door behind him. With tongues duelling they finally hit the bed, Gabriella's beige woollen cardigan and Troy's shirt scattered on the floor._

_'So, I take it you missed me?' He whispered, as they came up for air._

_'My mom comes back in an hour, you can talk then!' Gabriella whispered, tugging Troy's head down and connected their lips again. Troy groaned into her mouth and pulled her closer, their passion starting to take over as hands began to travel._

_'Baby...'_

_'Mhm?' Gabriella murmured, her head in the clouds, as Troy's lips attached themselves to her neck again and he kissed his way down the cleavage that his girlfriends black deep V necked, throw over top offered to him, Gabriella's dark purple coloured acrylic nails raking through his hair, as she threw her head back._

_Neither of them heard the footsteps heading up the stairs._

_'YOU'RE BACK!' Sharpay screamed, as she slammed the bedroom door open, causing it to bang against the wall loudly, causing the two teens to spring apart._

_'Shit!' Troy shouted, in fright as he leapt off Gabriella in shock, his heart racing. Sharpay ignored him and pounced on her best friend._

_'You can never do that again! These three weeks have been shit without you! You said you were going to be back at seven!'_

_'I lied! Get off me!' Gabriella laughed._

_'Alright Sharpay?' Troy said glumly, reaching for his shirt and throwing it back on. It was then that Sharpay looked at him._

_'Hi!' She said, waving him off, as he threw his t-shirt back on and handing Gabriella her cardigan back..._

* * *

_'C'mon Sharpay, I've literally been home an hour!' Gabriella said as she headed downstairs, un-tucking her hair from inside her beige coloured cardigan and allowing her long black locks to fall down her back. She headed into the living room and sat down, Troy pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms round her tightly._

_'Oh come on! We all need a night out! And it's gonna be even better now you're back!'_

_'Oh for god sake... Fine! I'll come out. I can see I'm not gonna win this so I'll just cut the arguments out while I still can' Gabriella relented._

_'Good, because Troy told everyone your coming already!' Sharpay revealed, causing Gabriella to whip her head round to face Troy._

_'Troy!' She exclaimed, as he glared at Sharpay_

_'I'm surprised he didn't tell you, considering how whipped his is around you! Whipped!' Sharpay exclaimed, as she picked up a pillow and hit Troy with it._

_'Shar!' Gabriella shouted, pretending to be annoyed with her best friend of fourteen years. She remembered the first day she met the pink loving, drama loving girl in pre school. Gabriella was new to the neighbourhood and Sharpay was her first ever friend she made. She soon became close to her twin, Ryan Evans and up until the end of 3rd grade, it was just them. Then Troy, Taylor and Chad join the school and their little group expanded into the Wildcats gang, as they called themselves._

_'Right so what we doing tonight then?' Gabriella asked_

_'We could go to the Rose and Crown?' Troy suggested. Before Gabriella could answer, Sharpay answered for her._

_'Perfect! We'll go there!' she shrieked happily, clapping her hands before looking as Gabriella's clothes. 'Should I come back later and let you get ready?' she asked. Gabriella looked at her clothes, a shocked look on her face. Her black heeled boots, dark washed destroyed skinny jeans, her black bralet and her flimsy black throw over top, complete with her long beige cardigan adorned her body._

_'Shar! I am ready!' she exclaimed, looking for Troy for approval. He nodded and connected their lips in a sweet kiss. She broke away and looked back at Sharpay, her smile slipping from her face as her best friend didn't look impressed. 'What? Have the Rose and Crown introduced a dress code since we were last there?' Gabriella remarked, making Troy and Sharpay laugh._

_'No, It's just different that's all, I was just thinking about going out afterwards!' Sharpay remarked back, causing Gabriella to smirk. Suddenly, a loud squeal erupted in the room and Gabriella looked up in time to see Taylor fling her arms round her._

_'Tay! Jesus, haven't any of you heard of knocking?' Gabriella retorted._

_'Look at you! All tanned and glowing!' Taylor complimented, as she moved to sit next to Gabriella, making Gabriella giggle._

_'You should see me after a month in Italy... I'm even more tanned!' Gabriella laughed. She saw Taylor admiring her clothes._

_'That looks cute on you!' she complimented_

_'Aww! Thanks mate... You see Shar thought it was too different!' Gabriella told Taylor, who looked at Sharpay._

_'For the Rose and Crown?' Taylor questioned Sharpay._

_'Exactly what I said!' Gabriella told Taylor, before she snuggled into Troy's embrace and tucked her head into his neck, sighing happily when he placed a kiss in her curls._

_**SNAP!**_

_Troy and Gabriella blinked as Sharpay smiled at the photo she had just snapped._

_'Too cute!' she cooed, as she posted it to her Instagram, causing the three teens to roll their eyes. Just then, a car honk sounded outside and Sharpay leapt to her feet, smiling brightly._

_'That's Zekey, everybody! C'mon!' Sharpay squealed, trying to usher everyone out of the room. Just then, the front door opened again and Inez's boyfriend poked his room the doorway._

_'Oi, oi! What's occurring?' he greeted, making Gabriella laugh, as she got to her feet._

_'Very current, Ricky! How are you?' she greeted politely, as Troy wrapped his arms round her lovingly and kissing her shoulder._

_'I'm very well, thank you' he replied, before checking her clothing and shouting for Inez, who appeared at his side, watching as he pointed to Gabriella. 'Best shoes on, her hair done, make up... Think she's trying to tell us something, Inez?' he questioned her, watching as Inez looked disappointed._

_'You're going out? But we only just got back. I thought we could go for a meal and then a movies, have a catch up with Ricky...'_

_'Mum...' Gabriella quietly whined, guilt flooding her body. It must've shown on her face, because Inez and Ricky both cracked up laughing, causing the younger Montez to frown._

_'I'm joking! He told us last night!' Inez said, pointing to Troy. Gabriella turned to tell her boyfriend off, however his lips caught her in searing, quick kiss, making her blush and forget._

_'See? Whipped!' Sharpay commented, from the doorway, a smirk on her face..._

* * *

_'Why are we stopping here?' Troy asked Gabriella, as they pulled up outside the park, watching as Sharpay climbed from Zeke's car. Gabriella shrugged and continued to look, until she saw the blonde hair of her other best male friend._

_'They're picking up Ryan! I thought he was in New York? Looking at Colleges?' Gabriella asked Troy, who shook his head._

_'No. He rearranged it until after Christmas. Didn't explain why though' Troy answered, stroking the back of Gabriella's head with his hand. She leaned back and sighed happily as she watched the two twins argue, as they headed back to Zeke's car._

_'Can we just leave them? I want to spend some alone time since Shar so rudely interrupted us!' Troy asked, making Gabriella giggle. Troy smiled and couldn't resist reaching over kissing her. The kiss grew and it was only when Zeke blew his car horn that they reluctantly pulled apart._

_'Let's go before Zeke sends Sharpay to our car!' Gabriella said, refastening her seatbelt and waving at Sharpay, who was wedged between Taylor and Ryan in the back seat..._

* * *

_Later, after stopping for a meal, the car arrangements changed. Chad, who had been sat in the passenger seat of Zeke's car, was now with Troy and Gabriella, while Taylor rode with Sharpay, Zeke and Ryan._

_'Remind me again why you and Taylor aren't speaking?' Gabriella asked Chad, as she searched for a CD in Troy's car to play._

_'We had an argument over Colleges. I said I wanted to go wherever she was going and she rejected the idea because I need to expand on my options and not always expect her to catch me if I fall' Chad replied._

_'Catch you if you fall?' Troy asked confused_

_'Yeah, like I always ask her for help on my homework and class work because I simply can't get it right, so she always helps me. I swear, if we hadn't all met, god knows where I'd be!'_

_'Yeah, but what does that have to do with college?' Troy asked_

_'She means that Chad should open his own path and follow his dreams. Surely Chad has some colleges he wants to go to? She's telling him to create his own path into his dreams rather expecting Taylor to have all the answers all the time. He needs to sit himself down and write down what he wants to do in life, what colleges he wants to go and how he plans to achieve them goals, without the help of his girlfriend' Gabriella answered for both boys, as she slid the CD into the CD Player._

_'Anyway, I'm sorry about before...' Gabriella said to Troy, who glanced at her for second and shrugged._

_'It doesn't matter' he replied honestly, smiling slightly._

_'It matters to me. Tell you what... We'll spend New Years Eve together. Alone. Bring in together, mark our anniversary in a special way' Gabriella said, pure love radiating from her voice._

_'Y-Yeah! That would be good' Troy stuttered, as images flashed in his brain and made him smirk. Just then, bright lights flashed from behind him, before the car overtook them and slotted into place in front of them, causing Troy to brake and slow down._

_'Dickhead!' Chad said, making Gabriella chuckle. Troy took Gabriella's hand in his, bringing it to his lips._

_'I love you' he said, affectionately, making Gabriella smile._

_'I love you too' she replied, in the same tone. She gazed at her boyfriend before Chad ruined the moment by making sick motions and sounds. Troy laughed quietly and indicated to overtake..._

* * *

_'So what are you guys doing for Christmas?' Taylor asked Sharpay, who was texting her mom._

_'We're spending it in New York with our Uncle and Cousin. Should be fun' Sharpay said, smiling. 'What about you?' she asked, looking up from her phone._

_'Spending it with my family. The whole lot of them are coming. Fourteen people in the house, on Christmas Day! I'm going be wishing I was with you guys I can see it!' Taylor grumbled._

_'Oh it can't be that bad!' Ryan asked from the front seat, as he turned and faced Taylor._

_'Nah, it is! Five little cousins who have to be entertained of every hour of every day, plus hyper from all the chocolate and sweets they'll sneak, it's a nightmare!' Taylor ranted_

_'Ouch! Sounds bad! Wait till we all have kids, it'll be even worse then!' Zeke said, making everyone chuckle. They fell into comfortable silence, before Ryan broke it._

_'Here, do you reckon will get married and have kids first?'_

_'Isn't it obvious? Ella and Troy!' Sharpay answered, raising an eyebrow at her twin. Ryan thought for a moment._

_'You've got a point. What about second?' he asked, making Sharpay and Taylor laugh. Just then, full beam highlights illuminated the entire car as it drove up behind them._

_'Oi twat! Turn your lights down!' Zeke yelled, as the car over took them, and swerved the slot into place in front of them._

_'Whoa, what he doing?' Sharpay questioned, although no one answered her. They watched as the car moved again, this time in front of Troy's. They waited a minute before Troy's indicator started flashing..._

* * *

_'__You guys make me want to throw up from all the lovey dovey stuff!' Chad commented, dodging Gabriella's fist as she reached behind her seat and tried to hit him._

_'Shut up, Chad!' Troy commented, a smile on his face meant he was enjoying the banter though. Troy checked to see if the coast was clear and stepped on the gas as he overtook the red car. It was Chad who saw it before he did._

_Bright car headlights headed round the bend, towards them._

_'Troy! Man, pull in!'_

_'TROY!'_

_**SMASH!**_

_Car horns blaring and his girlfriends screams were the last thing he heard before everything turned black..._

* * *

_It was Ryan who regained consciousness first. He let out a shout of pain and undid his seatbelt. He tried to look round, but everything seemed upside down, before he realised that the car was actually on it's roof. He reached out and felt the grassy earth under his fingertips. He slowly and carefully pulled himself out of the wreckage and up to his feet. He was breathing heavily as he gazed round the wreckage site. He saw Troy's car upright, but the windscreen was smashed to pieces and the passenger side window had disappeared. He staggered backwards and clutched his head._

_'Help! Someone help me!' he heard his sister shout. He rushed as quickly as he could round to her side._

_'Shar! It's me! You're okay. I'll get you out, but you've got to help me!' Ryan told her. Sharpay nodded and Ryan noticed the relief sweeping across her face. Gently as he could, he help Sharpay remove herself from the wreckage._

_'Help. We need help' Sharpay said, looking around at the wreckage. Just then, someone rushed towards them both._

_'Sir? Miss, are you both okay? I've called for help... Don't worry! What are your names?'_

_'Ryan and Sharpay' Ryan said, his head spinning as he motioned to himself and his sister._

_'Right Ryan, I'm Matt. I'm part of the fire department, I've called in help but I need you to keep your friends conscious or try and rouse them, can you do that?' Matt asked. Ryan nodded, before a scream rang out around them._

_'CHAD!' Sharpay screamed. While Ryan and the fireman were talking, she needed to see Gabriella, so she started to head in the direction of Troy's car, trying not to build images in her head of what she could find, when she tripped and landed on the ground. She scrambled to her knees and realised she had tripped over Chad, who had been thrown from the car through the windshield._

_'Shar, is he okay?' Ryan shouted as rushed to her side._

_'Chad?' Sharpay asked, tearfully. Chad spluttered blood from him mouth as he tried to clear his airways._

_'Shar, darling... Go to Gabriella' Ryan said, not wanting Sharpay to witness what was going to happen. Sharpay shakily got to her feet and rushed to Troy's car. Gabriella was drifting, her eyes flickering._

_'Gabi, honey, It's Shar! It's me! Listen you have to wake up!' Sharpay sobbed, as she grabbed her best friend's hand, which was cold. 'You have to wake up, Troy needs you, what would he do without you, eh?' she broke off as she choked on a sob, before she collected herself. 'Remember at Prom? How good we all looked together? You and your prince?' Sharpay spared a glance at Troy who was out cold, blood trickling down the side of his head. 'Wake up, Gabi! Wake up, Gabi! Wake up!' Sharpay cried, as she gripped Gabriella's hands more tightly, listening to the occasional whimpers and moans from Gabriella as she fought to stay awake..._

* * *

_Lucille and Jack were sat on the couch, Lucille's legs swung over her husbands while they watched the night time TV._

_'Hope you've left some hot water for me' Lucille commented, her eyes not moving from the TV. She heard Jack scoff._

_'It's more than you leave for me!' Jack responded. Just then, Lucille's cell phone started ringing, causing Jack to groan._

_'Tell me that's not your work!' Jack commented, referring to Lucille's job as a nurse. Lucille swatted his arm, as she reached for the cell phone._

_'Hello?' she greeted, as she placed the phone to her ear. She was silent for a few minutes, before her expression began to change, causing Jack to frown._

_'What's wrong?' he asked, worriedly..._

* * *

_'You sure your Mom will be alright? I mean, you can always fly her out. I wouldn't mind' Ricky told Inez as they got ready for bed, that evening._

_'She'll be fine. I made sure her carer would be able to check on her three times a day. Besides you know what my mother is like' Inez pointed out._

_'True, but I'm just saying, if you change your mind, I won't oppose' Ricky told his girlfriend, who smiled brightly._

_'Thank you' she said, smiling as she reached over and kissed him. He wrapped his arms round her and smiled, until frantic banging at the front door caught their attention._

_'Who could that be at this time?' Ricky questioned, as Inez climbed off the bed and headed down the steps, the banging never stopping._

_'Lucille! What's-'_

_'There's been an accident! I don't know how bad it was, but Troy's not answering his phone! Gabriella was in it too!' Lucille cried, before she turned and headed back for the car, where Jack was waiting._

_'Wait! Where abouts?' Ricky shouted out, as Inez started to go into shock._

_'Somewhere over the fields, on Blacks Road!' she shouted, as she climbed into the car and speeding off into the night..._

* * *

_Back at the field, ambulances and police cars were surrounding the area. Sharpay and Ryan were sat in the ambulance doorways, their feet on the grass, both of them staring at Chad, who had been covered with a white sheet._

_'Taylor's going to be destroyed' Sharpay whispered. Ryan had gone into shock, blocking everything out. What turned into a lovely day, full of laughter and love had ended in blood and tears. He turned his head and watched as the paramedics worked on cutting Troy and Gabriella out of the car. Both of them having neck braces round their necks with someone supporting them._

_'Has Troy woken up?' he murmured. Sharpay looked over and relief washed over her._

_'Thank you, lord!' she said, while looking up at the sky, her eyes sparkling._

_'Here, get these round you both. You must be freezing' said Matt, handing them both large amounts of what looked like tin foil to them and wrapping it round their shoulders._

_'Thank Matt. Not just for this, but for looking after us! I don't know how I can ever repay you!' Ryan told him, on behalf of himself and Sharpay. Matt smiled._

_'You don't need to repay me. Just you guys being alive is good enough for me' he answered, before walked away to deal with a call._

_'RYAN! SHARPAY!' Ryan looked over at where the police tape was sealing off the field and saw Inez trying to get through, wanting to get to them._

_'Inez!' Ryan called. He stood up, taking Sharpay with him, his arms clamped round her shoulder keeping her close to him._

_'Oh darlings! Are you okay?' Inez asked. Ryan nodded._

_'We're fine-'_

_'Gabriella was talking if that's what you want to know' Sharpay told Inez gently. Inez smiled, that piece of information making her calm for the moment._

_'Come on. We'll ask if we can go to the hospital and meet our parents there' Ryan said to Sharpay, who nodded and together headed to the ambulance where they had come from..._

* * *

_'Couple of bruises and a fractured nose? You're lucky kid' said one of the paramedic to Zeke, who was groaning in pain. They lifted the stretcher what he was on and carried him to the ambulance, passing Troy who was trying to find out information on Gabriella._

_'Where's my girlfriend?' Troy asked, although it came out muffled because of the oxygen mask over his mouth._

_'We need to get you to the hospital' said the paramedic, who was tending to Troy. Fear jolted through her._

_'Where's my girlfriend!' he shouted, fear jolting through him as scenarios starting racing through his mind. The paramedic sighed and looked over her shoulder, seeing Gabriella getting loaded into a ambulance._

_'She's being taken to hospital' she answered, making Troy sigh with relief._

_'Thank you!' he said, his brain ordering him to calm down now he knew Gabriella was okay..._

* * *

_Ryan and Sharpay were sat back at the ambulance, both looking out of the night landscape in front of them._

_'Beautiful, isn't it?' Sharpay asked, as she leaned against her brother. Ryan nodded in agreement. He rested his head on top of hers before he put a hand over his mouth and coughed, been polite. His eyes widened in horror as his hand brought back blood._

_'I don't feel well' he groaned, leaning forward. Sharpay looked at him worriedly and rubbed his back._

_'Ry?' she questioned. He coughed again and couldn't stop the spray of blood from his mouth, horrifying his twin._

_'RYAN! NO! NO! PLEASE GOD NO!' Sharpay screamed, as Ryan fell to knees. Sharpay crashed to the ground and rested Ryan head in her lap. Matt rushed forward._

_'What happened?' he questioned as he gently laid Ryan on the ground._

_'I don't know... He coughed and then collapsed... Ryan, you can't leave me! Please! I need you, I need you! I NEED YOU!' she screamed hysterically, as paramedics rushed over and dragged her backwards so they could have room to work..._

* * *

_'Troy Bolton, Gabriella Montez?' a paramedic called. Inez, Ricky, Lucille and Jack shot forward._

_'Yes, we're their parents!' Jack answered on behalf of all of them... well most of them._

_'Mr Bolton has been taken to Albuquerque City General, so has Ms Montez' the paramedic informed them. Inez let out a breath of relief and rushed to her car, Ricky following._

_'Thank you!' Jack said, before rushing with Lucille to their car and driving off, following Inez and Ricky, their need to be with children overwhelming them..._

* * *

**_R&amp;R x_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Remember this is still a flashback! **

**Enjoy! X**

* * *

_Sharpay was sat on a hospital bed, in her own world. Her twin was gone. Dead. He had died right in front of her and the images wouldn't stop, like they were on repeat to torture her relentlessly. She knew she should call her parents, but she had a feeling they already knew after Matt had taken her mothers cell phone number after she had gone into shock at Ryan's sudden death. She jumped when she felt two pairs of arms grip her shoulders._

_'Oh darling! Thank goodness your okay' she heard her mothers voice. She couldn't even bring herself to hug her mother back; she just continued to stare at the blank wall ahead._

_'Its natural to go into shock after something like this had happened, just her time to process the events' the nurse who was monitoring Sharpay said, softly._

_'But she will be okay, won't she?' Vance asked, not used to seeing his daughter so still and quiet._

_'She will be time, but having just being through what she's been through, it's going to take time to absorb everything' the nurse, Martha, explained. Vance and Derby sighed and looked at their daughter, who was practically catonic..._

* * *

_Meanwhile, Gabriella was sat on a bed, her legs crossed, staring at Taylor. Taylor's head was covered in bandages, her brown curls hidden underneath, and her right eye red and swollen. Just then, she started to stir and looked round, spotting Gabriella._

_'Hi' Gabriella said, gently and quietly so she didn't freak her out, as she made her way over to her. 'How you feeling?' she asked, as she looked at her best friend. Taylor reached up and pulled the oxygen mask off her face, looking through her lashes at her best friend. 'You had us really worried there for a minute' Gabriella said, softly. Taylor didn't reply. She looked at Gabriella and then at her clothes. She didn't have a mark on her, not a scratch or a bruise, not even a spec of blood._

_'Who are you?' she asked throatily, her voice rough from not talking. Gabriella's eyes widened for a second._

_'I'm Gabriella... I'm your best friend!' Gabriella said, looking at her._

_'We live on the same street?' Taylor stated, making Gabriella smile slightly._

_'Yeah, that's right' she said, smiling at her, before looking down and picking at the blanket on the bed._

_'But you're gone' Taylor said, causing Gabriella's head to snap up to look at Taylor, her eyes slightly wide. 'You went to Italy without telling me. You left me behind' Taylor continued, making Gabriella secretly sigh with relief._

_'Tay... I would never leave you behind!' Gabriella said, looking Taylor in the eyes so she knew she was telling her the truth. She sighed and got to her feet. 'Right, come on... It's time' she said, standing at the side of the bed, Taylor watching her closely._

_'For what?' she asked_

_'Well, you need to get up' Gabriella clarified._

_'Later. When I'm better' Taylor told her, before closing her eyes, making Gabriella sigh at her stubbornness._

_'Tay, you have to get up to get better... you know that!' Gabriella told her firmly, but Taylor ignored her..._

* * *

_'Taylor has a torn liver, fractured pelvis... Both of her legs are broken in several places, also her left arm... We've had to induce a coma' the nurse, Amiee who was monitoring Taylor's condition, told Mr and Mrs Mckessie._

_'She's in a coma?' Mrs Mckessie asked, pressing a hand to her heart and willed herself not to cry._

_'Talk to her... It may help' the nurse said. Mr and Mrs Mckessie nodded, and made their way over to Taylor's bedside._

_'Taylor, It's Mom... And Dad's here too'_

_'Hi love!' Mr Mckessie whispered, stroking his daughters hand gently and sniffling._

_'We just...' Mrs Mckessie broke off, choking on a sob, before composing herself. 'You're going to be okay. You're going to pull through this... And when you wake, we'll be here!... Can you hear me, darling? Can you?' she sobbed. She felt her husband's arms encircle her._

_'She heard you, Mara' he said, kissing her head gently..._

* * *

_Inez and Ricky were in the waiting room, waiting for news on Gabriella._

_'Inez, stop pacing love, sit down' Ricky said gently._

_'I can't get the image of that blood stained sheet out of my head' Inez said, her voice breaking, as she referred to the blood stained sheet that her and Ricky had seen when they entered the elevator to got up to the Nurses Station._

_'It doesn't mean it's hers darling! You've got to stay positive' Ricky told her gently. Inez sighed and ran her hands over her face and through her hair. Just then, there was a knock at the door and a nurse entered._

_'Mrs Montez?' The nurse asked, watching as Inez nodded._

_'That's me! How is my daughter?' Inez asked, her voice frantic._

_'Mrs Montez, can you remember what your Gabriella was wearing?' The nurse asked gently._

_'Erm... Er, a... Cardigan. We just got back from shopping... I don't-' Inez stumbled over her words._

_'Its okay, don't worry... Does she like to have her nails done?'_  
_Inez was silent, before she spoke._

_'Dark purple, acrylics... No! No, please, No!' Inez suddenly cried, tears spilling down her cheeks._

_'Inez?' Ricky questioned, frowning._

_'I'm very sorry, but Gabriella was very poorly when she came in... We tried everything we could' the nurse said as softly as she could. She hated this part of her job, having to be the one to break the news to people that their loved one had passed away._

_'But... But she was talking... She was talking to Sharpay!' Ricky exclaimed, as he held Inez in his arms._

_'I'm sorry. I know this might not be a lot of comfort, but she wouldn't have been in any pain' the nurse told Inez gently..._

* * *

_In the mortuary, a coroner was cutting away Gabriella's clothes one by one._

_'Such a young life. So much to learn and give...' The coroner thought, as he sighed. He tried not to think that the girl laying on his slab was the same age as his son, but he remind himself to have a talk with him about the dangers of the road..._

* * *

_'I'm just not sure exactly... What is it you need to do?' Ricky asked the nurse, as they stood by the door, talking._

_'The body will need to be identified' the nurse said gently_

_'And what? Does she need to do that tonight?'_

_'That's not something you need to do tonight, sir... You can take your time. The formal identification can be done by a relative'_

_'I'm just not sure she's ready for that' Ricky whispered, knowing that Inez was fragile and very vulnerable at the moment._

_'Ricky...' Inez choked sob echoed through the room, her ringing cell phone in her hands, a frown on her face. 'It's Gabriella' she choked out, seeing the caller ID and picture on her cell phone screen. The nurse, Jenny, sighed sympathetically and sat down slowly next to Inez, watching as she looked at her._

_'The police sometimes call the last number dialled as part of their investigation' she explained._

_'Oh god... Investigation' Inez whispered, leaning her head against the wall and closing her eyes, sensing Ricky squatting down in front of her as he took her hands in his._

_'Hey, come on' he said to her gently. Inez opened her eyes and looked at him._

_'I want to see her!' she said, looking him in the eyes. Ricky nodded._

_'Okay, darling' he said, gently, before turning to Jenny. 'Okay' he answered, seeing her question in her eyes..._

* * *

_'Hey, do you remember King Kong? That girl above us in school?' Gabriella asked Taylor, as she sat on a bed opposite Taylor. King Kong was a bully, who you always knew was heading towards you when her heavy footsteps echoed through the hallways._

_'She used to try and beat me up. You always used to say I should stick up for myself' Taylor told her glumly._

_'Yes, and you never listened' Gabriella gently scolded Taylor with a slight smile._

_'She just stopped on day. Never did find out why' Taylor thought out aloud. Gabriella smiled secretively, just as Taylor turned her head to look at her._

_'Did you stick up to her for me?' she asked, seeing the smile._

_'Well, that's what friends do, don't they? They stick up for each other' Gabriella told her, with a smile on her face. She managed to get a smile one out of Taylor. They fell into silence for a few moments before Gabriella broke it._

_'Your Mom and Dad really need you, Tay. So does Lea' Gabriella said, referring to Taylor's older sister. Taylor glanced at her, locking their eyes._

_'What about you're Mom?' Taylor asked, frowning when Gabriella looked guilty and upset..._

* * *

_Back in reality, Inez was standing outside the room, when Gabriella's body lay._

_'You don't have-'_

_'Yes, I do!' Inez cut Ricky off, trying to appear confident, but she gripped his hand tightly. 'Come in with me! Please!' she asked him._

_'Are you sure? She's your daughter, not mine. I don't want to impose' Ricky told her._

_'You were more of a father to her, in the two years we've known you' Inez told him. Ricky's eyes filled with tears and he nodded. The door opened and together they slowly stepped into the room. Inez's breath caught in her throat as she saw her daughter laying in front of her in the middle of the room on a slab, a cover covering her body expect her shoulder her arms. As she edged closer, she could see a white gauze bandage covering a cut from view, but other than that and some bruises, Gabriella looked as though she was sleeping._

_'My baby girl' Inez whispered, reaching out with a shaky hand to stroke her daughter's skin, which was still slightly warm..._

* * *

_Ricky rushed from the room and straight to the nearest toilet, locking the door. He sunk to the floor with his head in his hands as he allowed the tears to spill. Once he had himself under control, which was about fifteen minutes later, he stood up shakily and splashed some water onto his face, calming himself down. He took a deep breath and exited the bathroom._

_'Ricky!' a voice that Ricky dreaded hearing reached his eardrums. He slowly turned round to come face to face with Troy, who had cut and bruise on his face and his right arm in a sling._

_'Troy' he greeted shakily. How would he do this? Tell the poor boy in front of him that his girlfriend was dead?_

_'Where the hell is Gabriella? I've asked the nurses to give me information but I don't know where she is, they're not telling me anything!' Troy said his voice frantic with worry._

_'Troy... erm, son... She, erm...' Ricky couldn't say the words, so he shook his head instead. Troy froze in shock._

_'No... No...' he whispered, willing his thought not to be true. She was not dead!_

_'I'm sorry, Troy'_

_'NO!' Troy screamed, backing away from Ricky and hitting the wall, his screams of despair echoed through the halls and alerted his parent who were looking for him._

_'I'm sorry' Ricky repeated, before he headed back down the hallway, leaving Troy on his own._

_'Darling!' Lucille spotted her son sat on the floor and rushed towards him, however a blonde haired girl, with hot pink, high heeled shoes got there first._

_'Troy! Thank god, you're okay!'Sharpay shouted, as she hugged Troy tightly. She knew he must've just heard about Chad, like she had._

_'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' he cried_

_'I'm sorry too! I know how much he meant to you! He was like a brother to you!' she choked on the word 'brother' as it brought back the images of Ryan. Troy's body stiffened in shock and he pulled away slightly from the hug._

_'Brother? What are you talking about' he asked, eyeing her closely, while his parents stood behind Sharpay, with frowns on their faces. Sharpay frowned._

_'What are you talking about?' she questioned, pulling away from the hug, her face a mask of confusion._

_'I'm talking about...' his eyes widened as he realised Sharpay didn't know._

_'About?' Sharpay prompted, her eyes and facial expression not changing._

_'I'm talking about... About...' Troy closed his eyes and a new batch of tears erupted. He heard Sharpay's breath hitch in her throat._

_'No...No...NO! She's not dead... SHE'S NOT DEAD! YOU'RE LYING!' Sharpay screamed at him. She felt Lucille pull her to her feet, but Sharpay dropped straight back to her hands and knees as the entire night overwhelmed her._

_'I'm sorry!' Troy cried, reaching for her hand, only for Sharpay to deliver a harsh slap to his face._

_'They're dead! Chad, Gabriella and Ryan are dead because of you!' Sharpay cried. Troy heart almost stopped, just like it had done when he realised Gabriella was dead._

_'Ch- Chad's dead!?' he exclaimed, looking up at his parents, who both looked close to crying, now that Sharpay had revealed Chad's fate. Sharpay was too emotional to answer when Troy saw her parents appear behind his._

_'Sharpay, come on, darling! Come on!' her mother, Derby said gently, not looking once at any of the Bolton's._

_'Gabriella... Gabriella's dead!' Sharpay cried, her voice hoarse from all the crying and screaming._

_'Come on, darling!' Derby said, managing to get her daughter to her feet and allowed Vance to pick her up bridal style as Sharpay could barely walk, her legs were that shaky. Troy watched as they disappeared round the corner and looked at his parents, noting that they couldn't look at him._

_'Mom? Dad?' he questioned, but none of them answered..._

* * *

_Half an hour later, Troy was tucked into the corner of the waiting room, feeling catonic. He didn't hear anything, he could even feel anything._

**You killed them. You killed Gabriella. You killed Chad and Ryan. You killed them. You caused this**.

_Jack noticed a police officer standing at the door and he sighed. He knew why they where here. He stood up and opened the door, allowing the officer in._

_'Can't this wait? Please?' Jack asked. The police officer, Neil, shook his head._

_'No, it can't... I'm sorry' Neil replied solemnly._

_'He's in shock' Jack said meekly, watching as the police officer took off his hat and sat on a chair in front of Troy._

_'Troy, I'm Detective Neil Peters... Son, I'm arresting you on suspicion on causing death by dangerous driving. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defense, if you don't mention anything that may rely on in court... Do you understand?' Neil asked Troy, who continued to remain catonic as the reality of the situation washed over him..._

* * *

** Dun Dun! **

**Just in case you don't understand the bit with Gabriella and Taylor... **

**Gabriella is like a guardian angel, making sure Taylor chooses life, that she has something to live for...**

**R&amp;R X**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews, my lovely reviewers! Keep 'em coming!**

**This is the last part of the flashback! The next chapter will go back to present time...**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_As dawn signaled the start of a new day, Vance was driving himself, Derby and Sharpay home, the car silent. With Sharpay still catonic, the two older Evans members were absorbed by their own thoughts, until Vance broke it._

_'Derby...' He whispered, needing some kind of reality to grip back onto._

_'Don't, Vance... Don't' Derby said, sniffling as she looked out of the window at the scenery, the car falling back into silence. They pulled up outside their house and Vance turned the car engine off, none of them moving._

_'I can't go in there' Vance and Derby looked at each other, before turning to look at Sharpay, who looked exhausted._

_'Sharpay-' Derby started, but was interrupted harshly by Sharpay._

_'I SAID NO!' She shouted, scrambling from the car, needing some air. Vance quickly got out of the car and put his arms round his daughter._

_'Sharpay, listen to me!' He said, trying to be strong for his daughter, but failing._

_'I can't go in there!' Sharpay choked out, tears spilling down her cheeks. Derby climbed from the car and headed for her daughter, pulling her in for a hug._

_'Honey, listen to mom! We never have to go in there again! Okay? We can go and stay at my Moms if you want, until your ready or we can look at somewhere else to live' Derby said tears sparkling her eyes, her hands cupping her daughters face and making her listen. Sharpay let out a few shuddering breaths, gearing herself up for what she knew she had to do._

_'No... This is all we have left of...' She left the sentence unfinished. She straightened up and shakily headed for the front door, whimpering as she let the door swing open to reveal an empty hallway, the eeriness evident._

_'Sharpay, take your time!' Vance said, from behind. Sharpay swallowed her remark and stepped into the house on shaky feet. She steeled herself and gripped the staircase banister, a photo of herself and Ryan at a young age staring back at her. She choked back her tears as she stumbled into the living room with her mom's help, before they sat on the sofa and cried in each others arms. Vance watched his girls from the hallway before heading for the kitchen and shutting the door, allowing his tears to fall heavily and silently..._

* * *

_Inez and Ricky pulled up outside the Montez house, the car silent. Ricky turned off the engine and turned to Inez._

_'Inez? Sweetie?' he tried to get her attention, but Inez wasn't listening; she had memories of Gabriella running through her mind like a movie reel. She sniffled and then turned to look at Ricky, a fake smile on her face._

_'Come on. We've got things to do' she said, climbing from the car and swallowing her tears as she marched straight into the house and into the living room, looking for the Yellow Pages._

_'Inez?' Ricky questioned, watching Inez closely. He expected her to be screaming and shouting and blaming Troy for taking her daughter away, not this. Not this calm and controlled Inez in front of him._

_'Funeral Directors... Funeral directors' she was muttering to herself, as she flicked through the big yellow book._

_'Inez, stop it. Just-'_

_'No, I won't stop! I have to do this. I have to arrange my own daughter's funeral! No one else! Me! I have to go up there and pick out her best clothes to bury her in!' Inez cried. She bowed her head and sniffled, before continuing. 'You know... When you left the mortuary... I was speaking to her. I kept saying to her 'wake up! Wake up! This isn't funny anymore!'... But she didn't...' Inez broke off, as her eyes caught a photo frame of Gabriella and herself from a few years ago. Tears sprung to her eyes and Ricky wrapped his arms round her as she cried._

_'It's going to be okay, I promise... I promise!' he whispered to her, as he blinked back his own tears for the girl who was like a daughter to him..._

* * *

_After spending the night in a police cell and spending an hour been questioned, Troy was let go, as he hadn't been charged with anything at that moment in time. Troy still hadn't said anything since the crash, not even in questioning and didn't look like he was going to anytime soon. As Troy climbed into the back of his fathers car, he saw Zeke been escorted out of the police station by his parents, a bandage across his nose and bruises covering his face. He watched as Zeke was hugged by his mom and climbed into the car, the scene making him looking at his own parents, who had been acting frosty with him since the hospital._

_'Mom? Dad?' he asked, looking at both of them, but not getting a reply. It was only when they entered their house, half an hour later that Lucille spoke._

_'How could you be so stupid?' she hissed, making Troy frown. They had entered the kitchen and Lucille had her hands firmly placed on the island in the middle of the kitchen._

_'Mom?' he questioned quietly. What he wasn't prepared for was the anger that erupted from his Mom._

_'THIS IS YOUR FAULT! THIS IS YOUR FAULT THAT THEIR DEAD!' she screamed, making Troy flinch and Jack jump._

_'Lucille!' Jack exclaimed, a little too late, as his wife's tirade continued._

_'WHY DID YOU OVERTAKE THAT CAR? HAVEN'T WE WARNED YOU ENOUGH TIMES ABOUT THE DANGERS OF THE ROAD? THE ONE TIME WE DON'T GIVE YOU A LECTURE, YOU GO AND KILL THREE PEOPLE! YOU'RE GIRLFRIEND BEEN ON OF THEM! THE GIRL WHO WAS LIKE A DAUGHTER TO US!'_

_'Mom, stop it!' Troy cried, his tears pouring down his cheeks._

_'Lucille! Enough!' Jack shouted firmly. Lucille stopped her tirade, but was breathing heavily, clearly holding her tongue._

_'Get out of my sight, Troy!' she said, not looking at her son. Troy stood in shock in the doorway at his mother's outburst, before he turned and headed for his bedroom, leaving the door open so he could hear his parent's conversation._

_'Don't tell me there isn't a part of you that blames him, Jack!' Lucille hissed_

_'Of course there is! But he's just lost his girlfriend and two of his closest friends! He needs support, not backlash!' Jack said. Lucille shook her head and pursed her lips tightly._

_'I can't help it! I can't imagine what Inez, Derby and Mara must be going through... Because of him, what he did! I have to stand in a church with them in a few weeks times, knowing that our son killed them!' Lucille said her voice hard and firm. Jack tried to find a response, but failed. Instead he gathered his wife up in his arms and hugged her tightly, both them allowing their own tears to fall..._

* * *

_She didn't know how long she had been in here, but it felt like hours. Sharpay sat the end of her brother bed, silent tears staining her cheeks. While they were twins, they had only been in each others room a few times in their lives, now Sharpay was wishing differently._

_'Come back... I need you!' she whispered to the ceiling, wishing with everything in her that Ryan would hear her and come barging through his door. But the door never opened. She sniffled and got off the bed, walking around her brothers room, examining things. She saw all the musicals they both like piled high, she saw college applications scattered on his desk, along with his laptop and schoolwork. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw a photo album, labelled 'Family'. She hesitated as she reached for it. Would it be invading his privacy if she looked? She withdrew her fingers from the album, leaving it where it was. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket and fished it out of her pocket._

_Sender: Zekey_

_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I totally understand if you never want to speak or hear from me again._

_Sharpay let out a shuddering breath and her lip quivered, but she didn't reply. She didn't want to speak to anyone at the moment, not even her parents. She continued to look round her brother room, until her heart slammed into her chest._

_A photo of herself, Ryan and Gabriella on the beach in Hawaii that very summer, six months ago. It had been the first time the gang had been allowed on holiday by themselves, without their parents. The particular photo had been taken on their last day and they had spent it at the beach, in the glorious sunshine. Ryan had wanted a photo of them, so Troy and Zeke had dragged their girls out of the sea and told them what Ryan had wanted. The girls, looking like models had big smiles on their faces, the sea water glistening their skin with their lilac and pink bikinis bringing out the colours in their eyes. Ryan had an arm swung round their waists, a bright smile illuminating his face as well, and his black and white striped shorts hanging at his hips._

_Sharpay allowed herself a very small smile at the memory, as she had ordered Troy to take another photo, because her and Gabriella's hair wasn't right. She had swung hers over her left shoulder and instructed Gabriella to swing her black long curls over her right shoulder. Gabriella admitted afterwards Sharpay was right, the picture did look better._

_She placed the photo back down in its rightful place, before she left her brothers room, leaving the door open a crack like he always did. She headed into her own room, her tears coming back as she saw a photo of herself and Gabriella on a night out, both of them having matching hairstyles (their hair curled and placed in high ponytails) and matching pouts on their faces. In her grief about Ryan, Sharpay had forgotten about Gabriella's deceased status. She felt sobs overtake her body again, this time for her closest friend of fourteen years..._

* * *

_Zeke sat on his bed, still in shock at what had happened the previous night. Two of his best friends were dead, one was fighting for her life and his girlfriend was probably his now his ex._

_'Zeke? Do want anything to eat?' his dad asked, gently, as he stood in the doorway. He watched as his son didn't move, but shook his head. Christopher wanted to push the matter further, but knew his son was hurting so he left him alone._

_'She'll come round, Zeke. Just give her time..' Christopher said, before heading back downstairs._

_'No, she won't' Zeke said, to thin air, as he fell backwards on his bed and allowed his eyes to close, in a dream riddled sleep..._

* * *

_Jack walked into his son's room, expecting Troy to be asleep, so he was surprised when he saw Troy staring at the blank wall in front of him, his hands clutching a photo of himself and Gabriella on holiday, both of them tanned and colored coordinated outfits, smiling bright for the photo. Gabriella's hair was hanging in loose waves down her back while the blue maxi dress, that adorned her body swept against the sand, her arms hugging Troy loosely, not wanting to crease his white crisp shirt that stood out against his tan._

_'Troy?' Jack questioned, not wanting to startle his son._

_'What?' Troy bit out, his voice void of any emotion._

_'I've informed Masuti about what has happened. There's going to be an announcement first day back... But there's something else I need to talk to you about' he approached the subject gently, knowing this would destroy his son._

_'I know you blame me. I heard you and Mom talking earlier...'_

_'It's about the basketball team...' Jack said, ignoring his son's last statement. Troy sighed and closed his eyes._

_'What about it?' Troy asked, leaning his head against his basketball shaped headboard._

_'I want the captain badge back... You're off the team until this investigation is over' Jack said bluntly. Troy's blue eyes snapped open and his head snapped to his father._

_'WHAT? NO!' Troy snapped. He had lost his world and his two best friends, he was not losing his career._

_'There's no argument, Troy. As of now, you're off the team till further notice!'_

_'I'VE JUST LOST MY WORLD AND MY BEST FRIENDS! WHY ARE YOU TAKING THE ONLY THING THAT IS KEEPING ME GOING, FROM ME?' Troy screamed in anger._

_'Well maybe you should've thought about that before you went and killed them!' Jack spoke before he thought and the room fell silent, as Troy processed the words. Jack turned and headed from the room, hating himself for speaking the words what had been going round in his head since his phone call with his boss. Back in his room, Troy stumbled backwards in shock and sat on the bed, wishing with every fiber of his being that he could turn back time..._

* * *

**Would you like me to add some flashbacks of the holiday and maybe of Prom... Is that something you would like to see... or read, shall I say? Let me know! **

**R&amp;R X**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ready for another chapter, my lovely readers? **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Troy woke up after crying himself to sleep, the early evening sky starting set into darkness. Troy groaned and sat up, rubbing his face. He sighed and headed to his en suite bathroom, his eyes widening at his reflection. He splashed cold water on his face and dabbed it dry. He got changed into a fresh T-shirt and jeans, throwing his trainers on his feet. He had to get out of the house, the four walls of his bedroom starting to suffocate him. He slipped from his bedroom and slipped from the house and grabbing his winter jacket, his parents none the wiser since they clearly blamed him. The cold, winter air biting him as tucked his hand that wasn't in a sling into his pocket and headed down the road, his head hung low...

* * *

Zeke was stood outside the house what used to be like a second home to him. The cold wind whipping around him, stinging his cuts and bruises from the accident. He gazed up at Sharpay, who was on her window ledge, staring up at the sky, tears dripping down her cheeks.

'I'm sorry' he whispered, tearfully. He turned to walk back down the street, only getting halfway when a voice stopped him.

'Zeke?' Zeke froze at the weak voice. He swallowed and slowly turned, coming face to face with Sharpay, who looked worse for wear. Bruises stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin, the injuries on her torso being covered by a large sweatshirt. Zeke felt guilt coarse through him, at what he had done to Sharpay's family.

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come here!' Zeke said, before breaking off into a run, ignoring Sharpay's screams of his name, begging him to come back. She watched as he disappeared round the corner, before she stopped screaming. She began to shiver as the cold started to affect her, but all she could focus on was that her boyfriend was quite possible her ex now, after all what had happened. She jumped as her mother put her arm round her, after she had draped a thick woollen cardigan over her shoulders.

'Come on, darling. Give him time...' Derby said gently. Sharpay sniffled and nodded, allowing her mother to lead back inside the cosy house. They sat on the sofa, staring at the flames from the fire.

'I keep waiting to see him... Just walk through the door talking about Wicked' Sharpay said quietly. Derby smiled slightly.

'Me too, darling. Me too...' she answered, watching as the flames flickered slightly and burned the wood on the open fireplace...

* * *

Troy was by the lake, resting against a tree, with his legs tucked under his chin. His eyes were swollen from crying, as the lake was a little hideout from the gang for Troy and Gabriella. It also held some good memories for them, especially after they became a couple.

_It was halfway through 8__th__ Grade and winter break was almost ending. After they celebrated New Years and the last week of the holidays, it was back to Middle School for six months then it was onto High School, which was scary enough whenever they thought about it. However, Troy Bolton had more important things on his mind. Ever since they had started Middle School, the girls had gone through changes, namely Gabriella. She had turned from a shy and quiet girl over night, to a very attractive school girl overnight. He was sat in her bedroom, having a breather from the New Years party. The bedroom door creaked open and Gabriella entered with a playfully, disapproving look on her face. She shut the door and made her way over to him, her black skinny jeans and baby blue cropped jumper adorning her body._

'_And why aren't you downstairs?' she playfully scolded. Troy let out a quiet chuckle._

'_I just... needed a breather' he said, knowing he wouldn't be able to lie to Gabriella. The girl nodded her head once and held out her hand._

'_Come on... It's nearly midnight. You should be downstairs with us' she said. Troy looked at the hand that was outstretched._

'_No... I'm fine, honest. I'll be back down in a bit' he told her gently. Everything went silent downstairs and the young teenagers heard everyone piling outside into the large back garden, counting down the seconds to a brand new year._

'_Okay, fine! Just so you know, everyone knows you're acting weird. I will get it out of you, Troy Bolton' she said playfully, pointing a finger at him. Troy had stopped listening, his eyes watching her lips closely. He distantly heard the countdown from ten outside, everyone chanting, the voices getting louder and louder._

'_Brie?' Troy questioned. The girl in question turned round, her hand slipping from the doorknob._

'_Yeah?' she answered gently. Troy got up from the bed shakily and made his way over to her. His hand cupped her cheek and he felt Gabriella tense slightly. He leaned forward slowly, giving Gabriella the chance to push him away if she wanted._

'_HAPPY NEW YEAR!' the shouts from outside echoed through the neighbourhood, while Troy closed the gap between him and Gabriella, kissing her gently softly. It was a few seconds before Gabriella pushed him away slightly, her eyes slightly wide. Troy backed off._

'_I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I just-' Gabriella connected their lips again, her arms sliding round his neck, while his arms slid round her waist tightly, pulling her closer to him. Once air was a necessity, they broke apart, but stayed in each others arms._

'_You don't know long I've waited for you to do that' Gabriella whispered to him, sweetly._

'_Tell me... I'm sure I could match it' Troy whispered back to her, dropping a kiss to her lips._

'_Since the first day of Middle School. You turned from a scrawny little boy to this, practically overnight' Gabriella said, giggling at Troy's face expression._

'_Scrawny little kid?' he repeated, chuckling. Gabriella smiled brightly and nodded._

'_So, how long have you wanted to kiss me?' Gabriella asked. Troy smiled and brushed a stray curl behind her ear._

'_Since the first day I saw you... When you came bounding over to me and introduced yourself... I knew' he said truthfully. Gabriella's heart fluttered and her eyes twinkled._

'_That long?' _

'_That long' Troy confirmed. Gabriella stood on her tiptoes and connected their lips again, deciding to be brave and probe his lips with her tongue. Troy was slightly surprised but granted her access. Gabriella pushed herself off the door and turned, leading Troy to her bed. Troy made a noise in the back of his throat and reluctantly pulled away and looked at her._

'_Brie, I don't want to you to think-'_

'_Calm down. I just thought we'd be more comfortable sitting down' she laughed quietly. Troy swallowed and nodded once, before connecting their lips again, both of them was feeling braver as they got used to the new aspect of their relationship..._

Troy traced his lips with his fingers as the memory faded. That night had been perfect, even when their friends had burst into the room and immediately froze at the newly formed pair. He chuckled quietly, but it soon vanished when he remembered that he wouldn't get chance to kiss Gabriella again. He slowly got up from the ground, as the cold started seep through his winter jacket...

* * *

Zeke had rushed home, ignoring Sharpay's screams. He rushed through the front door and rushed straight to his room, slamming the door shut. He rested his forehead against the wood and allowed the tears to fall. He thought back to that day, three days ago. The afternoon had been perfect. They had gone to the Rose and Crown, deciding to eat there and then head out onto the town, using their fake IDs. Zeke turned and headed for his bed, collapsing onto it as a memory flashed through brain.

_So, where's your girl tonight?' Zeke asked Troy, as Troy set up the game system in his living room. _

'_Said that she and Sharpay were having a G.N.I' Troy said, smiling at the mention of his girlfriend of five years. _

'_Ah, I see! Right, come on then! Show me how good you are at COD' Zeke said, as he grabbed a controller and waited for Troy to set the game up..._

* * *

_Two hours later and Troy was thrashing Zeke on the game._

'_You're cheating, bro! Cut me some slack!' Zeke yelled, as Troy shot his character. Troy let out a laugh which was slightly maniacal. Everyone who knew the Wildcats knew that the boys got over competitive when it came to video games. Just then, there was a loud bang that echoed through the house, causing Zeke and Troy to look at each other and then back at the TV._

'_Was that you?' they asked at the same time, frowning. Just as Troy was about to answer, a loud girly laugh echoed from the kitchen. Zeke frowned._

'_That's Sharpay' he said, setting the controller down and headed for the kitchen, with Troy behind him, confused to why Sharpay was in his house._

'_Shar!' Zeke said, making Sharpay jump, her drunken eyes sparkling as her boyfriend came into focus._

'_Zekey!' she said, flinging her arms round him. Troy stepped away as Zeke led Sharpay to island in the middle of the kitchen. Just then, a loud ringing sound echoed through the room, but it wasn't coming from Sharpay. Troy and Zeke frowned as Sharpay guiltily looked down at the floor. Troy walked round the other side and found Gabriella, her phone in her hand._

'_Brie!' Troy scolded. He reached down and helped her to her feet. Gabriella stumbled slightly, due to intoxication._

'_Jesus! I thought you girls were having girls night in? Not a girl's night out!' Troy said, as he sat Gabriella on a stool and filled two glasses of water and handed them to girls, along with a asprin each._

'_We were. But then we grew bored and decided to try out these...' Gabriella said, handed Troy her fake ID. Troy raised an eyebrow._

'_And where did you get this made?' he asked, handing it back to her._

'_Chad' Sharpay spoke, perkily. _

'_Chad makes them?' Troy voiced the question both him and Zeke were thinking. The girls nodded and Gabriella snuggled into Troy's arms. _

'_Zekey, can you stay over at mine tonight?' Sharpay said, a drunken smile on her face._

'_Yeah, course I will' he said, making Sharpay squeal. Troy and Gabriella covered their ears with their hands._

'_Come on, think that's our cue to leave' Zeke said, supporting Sharpay as they headed for the front door. _

'_Call me when you've got her home safely' Gabriella said, leaning against Troy. Zeke nodded, knowing how protective the girls got of each other._

'_I will. Look after her, Troy' Zeke said, as himself and Sharpay stepped outside into the cool night air. Troy waited till they had gone, before turning to Gabriella._

'_Come on... Lets get you to bed' Troy said, gently as he put his arm round his girlfriend and shut the front door, leading her to his bedroom..._

* * *

Zeke remembered the morning after clearly. Sharpay had vowed never to drink again and had dragged Zeke back over to Troy, so she and Gabriella could mope about their hangovers together, only Gabriella didn't feel quite as rough as Sharpay. For the first time since the crash, Zeke let out a smile. He swallowed as he brought out his phone, staring at the photo of himself and Sharpay.

_**Would be so bad just to text her? I killed her brother and put Taylor in a coma...**_

Deciding to bite the wind with caution, he opened up a new message to Sharpay.

_Sender: Zeke_

_Hey. I'm sorry about running... Everything is still overwhelming... I just can't look at you or talk to you face to face without knowing what I've done. _

He pressed send and placed his phone on his bedside table, placing his hands behind his head as he thought about how these few days would have gone by if the crash hadn't happened...

* * *

**R&amp;R X**


	5. Chapter 5

**So sorry I've not updated for bit! Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween (Mine was spent working...) **

**I really hope my wonderful readers are still with me!**

**Enjoy X**

* * *

Night fell and the nurses had trimmed Taylor's room up with Christmas paper trimmings. Taylor condition hadn't changed and the nurses had told Mara and Elliot that it was up to Taylor herself when she woke up. Currently, Mara was sat on the bed next to Taylor's, watching her daughter.

'Come on, darling! Wake up... It's almost Christmas Eve. Our favourite time of the year is nearly here!' She said, her eyes trained on her daughter's unconscious form. She jumped when a plastic cup of steaming coffee appeared under her nose.

'Thought you might want this' Elliot Mckessie said, as he sat besides her, his own coffee in his own hands.

'Thanks'

'Any change?' Elliot asked. He watched as his wife shook her head.

'Everything's down to Taylor... It's just a waiting game' Mara told her husband. She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder, her coffee clasped tightly in her hands. A knock at the door a few minutes later made them jump. They turned and saw a tired looking Sharpay standing at the door. Mara beckoned her in. She stood up and moved to hug the teenager gently, as she stepped into the room.

'Oh Sharpay! It's lovely to see you' Mara whispered in Sharpay's ear as she hugged her.

'I'm sorry it's so late... I just... I need to see if she was okay!' Sharpay said her voice breaking as she saw Taylor's unconscious form.

'Oh sweetie! You angel, after everything you've been through' Mara said, gently wiping Sharpay's tears away...

* * *

The clock chimed twelve and midnight officially arrived. Christmas Eve had arrived and for the first time since the crash had happened, he was home alone. His parents had gone round to the Danforth household. They had finally managed to gather up their courage to go and lend them support after what Troy had done, leaving him in his room. Everything had changed. In the space of five days, Troy had gone from having everything he could ever need in his life, to nothing. He rolled over on his bed and a picture caught his eye. He lifted it up and stroked Gabriella's face.

_He actually couldn't believe their parents had allowed the two of them to go on holiday by themselves, just him and Gabriella. It was Summer before Senior year and their parents had finally been worn down, after all the begging and bribing from the two teenagers._

'_I can't actually believe they agreed to that! We are actually on holiday with no parents!' Troy exclaimed, excitedly. He heard Gabriella laugh from somewhere in the apartment what was theirs for the week._

'_I know! How fabulous is this?' Gabriella squealed as she barrelled out of the bedroom and jumped straight into Troy's awaiting arms. However, he stumbled backwards and fell onto the large sofa in the middle of the living room/kitchen. Gabriella giggled and un tucked her face from Troy's neck and looked down at him, biting her lip._

'_See something you like?' Troy asked, a sexy smirk working it's way onto his face._

'_Definitely' Gabriella replied, her voice seductive. Although they hadn't gone all the way yet, they both knew it wouldn't be long before they did, as things had got to third base rather quickly these days. Even though it meant Troy took showers nearly everyday after meeting Gabriella after school to work on 'homework', he wouldn't push her until he knew she was certain she was ready._

'_Gabriella Montez, are you flirting with me?' he teased, smiling brightly as she giggled, before he connected their lips in a kiss. He sat up and swung his legs so his feet were placed on the floor, keeping their lips connected. He felt his t-shirt being tugged up over shoulders. He broke the kiss to fling it somewhere in the room._

'_Are you sure?' Troy asked. He felt the air in the room shift when he had taken his shirt off and he knew what she wanted. Gabriella looked at him and nodded shyly, her cheeks reddening slightly. Troy cupped her cheeks and stroked them with his thumbs, smiling._

'_No need to blush, baby. It's me!' he chuckled, smiling. Gabriella smiled back and threaded her fingers through his hair and connected their lips again, feeling Troy get to his feet and carried them into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him..._

* * *

'_Are you okay?' Troy murmured in Gabriella's ear, an hour later. Gabriella sighed contently and nodded, folding her hands over his heart and resting her chin on top of them, looking up at him._

'_I'm fine. You?' Gabriella asked, smiling. Troy looked down at her, his hands threading through her hair, stroking the back of her head._

'_I'm fine... Did... Did I hurt you?' he winced as he asked the question; it was the last thing he wanted to do._

'_It hurt a bit, but it was expected' Gabriella assured him, unfolding one of her hands and stroking his cheek. _

'_Still, I'm sorry' he said, gazing down at her, love radiating from his eyes. Gabriella raised herself up, so she was eye level with him._

'_It's okay, I promise... The worse was over in a few seconds' she said, honestly. Troy nodded, but still felt horrible at causing her the slightest pain. He gazed at her for a minute, before bringing her head down and connecting their lips. He gently rolled them over and cradled her body gently. _

'_So... what do you want to do for the rest of the day?' Gabriella asked, fighting to keep the smile off her face as Troy stopped kissing her neck. He looked down at her, slightly amused._

'_You're seriously asking that question, right now?' he asked. Gabriella giggled and smiled, biting her lip._

'_Well, we can't stay in bed all holiday' Gabriella said, chuckling at Troy's face expression_

'_Who says we can't?' Troy said, a hint of annoyance in his voice._

'_I say... Today can be a duvet day, but tomorrow we could go sightseeing or to the beach' Gabriella suggested._

'_Sounds fair enough' Troy said, nodding his head before going back to his gentle assault on Gabriella's neck. He felt her nails scraping along his scalp, making him shiver. He lifted his face and Gabriella watched as his eyes grew darker, making her smirk._

'_Liking this?' Troy asked, as he leant down towards her._

'_I wouldn't be here if I wasn't' she answered, before connecting their lips in a deep and passionate kiss. Gabriella managed to use her strength to flip them over, surprising Troy slightly. His hands gripped her waist and travelled one of them up her back to grip the back of her neck gently, as the kiss grew steamier. _

'_Babe...' Troy whispered, as Gabriella trailed kisses to his neck and started sucking gently at the skin, soothing the bites she made with her tongue. His arms wrapped round her body gently as he sat up, with her in his lap, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, both of their eyes full of love and lust._

'_I love you' he whispered, his hand tangling in her hair._

'_I love you too' Gabriella said, smiling. She squealed in delight when Troy playfully and gently pushed her back down onto the bed, connecting their lips again..._

* * *

_As the sun had started to set, Troy awoke from his slumber slowly. It took him a few minutes to remember where he was and what had happened. He smiled as he looked at his chest to see a sleeping Gabriella resting on his chest. He really didn't want to disturb her, but he really needed the toilet. He managed to gently place Gabriella's head on his pillow, pulling the thin sheet around her body, leaving her shoulders and arms bare, before rushing to the bathroom. Once he had done business, he returned to the bedroom, spotting the perfect opportunity for a picture. Gabriella was laid on her stomach, her hair fanned out on the pillow, the sunlight from the sunset casting a beautiful glow on Gabriella's skin. He quickly grabbed his phone, making sure she was covered with sheet properly and snapped the photo at the perfect angle. He quickly posted it to Instagram with the caption_

_My Everything #nofilter #natural _

_He smiled and placed his phone back on the table besides the bed, before climbing back into bed with Gabriella. She snuggled back into his side, her face frowning slightly in sleep as she felt the material of his Calvin Klein boxers, but she didn't wake. He smiled and kissed her head, before nuzzling his face into her hair and falling asleep, his arms encircled round his lover protectively..._

Troy sniffled at the memory. That had been the highlight of the holiday for him, the two of them showing each other just how much they love each other. He remembered the aftermath of the photo been taken. Sharpay had seen the picture and immediately called Gabriella, cooing over the photo, while he had had to deal with Chad calling him 'whipped' and 'wanting to know everything'. He shook his head and placed the photo frame back on the bedside table and climbed off the bed. He sorted through the pile of Christmas presents and put Ryan's, Zeke's and Chad's presents to the side, as he dug out Sharpay's and Taylor's and Gabriella's presents. He sniffled as he placed Gabriella's bag of presents to the side and picked up Sharpay's present, leaving Taylor's with Gabriella's. He got to his feet and headed from his room, grabbing his car keys along the way...

* * *

He pulled up outside Sharpay's house and turned off the engine. He swallowed harshly and climbed from his car, reaching for Sharpay's present in the back seat. He turned to face the Evan's house and headed up the path. He froze in front of the door, hearing someone crying on the staircase inside. Guilt washed through him and he left the present on the step. He turned and headed back down the steps and down the path, stopping dead as he came face to face with Sharpay, who looked furious that he had on her parent's property, after what he had done.

'What the hell do you think you're doing here?' she growled, her eyes dark and dangerous

'I was dropping your present off' Troy said meekly. Sharpay's nostrils flared.

'And what makes you think I need anything from you now? You took away my brother and the girl who was like my sister!' Sharpay spat viciously. Troy swallowed and took a few deep breaths to keep his emotions in check.

'I know and I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen!' Troy said honestly.

'You know what; I wish it was you that had died in that crash. Not Ryan, not Ella... You!' Troy flinched.

'You don't mean that' Troy whispered, his voice quiet. Sharpay raised an eyebrow and stepped closer to him. It was then that Troy saw the hatred in Sharpay's eyes, the hatred she held for him.

'Oh, trust me, Bolton... I mean it!' she said, harshly, before she looked at him and shook her head, like she was disgusted by him and turned her back on him, elbowing past his arm in a sling as she headed for her house, the sounds of quiet sobs reaching Troy's ears...

* * *

**R&amp;R :D **

**Let me know what other flashbacks you want to see... If you want any at all of course! X**


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